Toms and Reavie share opening round lead at Colonial

David Toms and Chez Reavie carded matching, bogey-free 8-under 62s on Thursday to share the lead after the first round of the 2011 Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial.  Toms and Reavie’s 8-under 62s equal the lowest 18-hole score of the season

The 8-under 62s turned in by Toms and Reavie equal the lowest opening round at the Crowne Plaza Invitational (Patrick Sheehan, 2005).  Prior to Thursday, the previous-best opening round on TOUR this season was 63, set on five occasions and most recently by D.A. Points en route to victory at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

David Toms’ 62 represents the best opening-round of his career on the PGA TOUR, topping the 63s he posted to start the 1992 Kemper Open and 2000 Bob Hope Classic.  Toms was pleased with his opening round, “Yes, it was one of those days today where the hole just looked big, and I putted extremely well.  It’s the one thing I really haven’t been doing.  So it was nice to see that.  It’s just a good start.  It helps me.”  Toms is making his 11th start of the year and is coming off a playoff loss to K.J. Choi at THE PLAYERS Championship – the 14th runner-up finish of his career. He is No. 22 on the FedExCup points list, with three top-10s (2nd-THE PLAYERS, T3-Arnold Palmer Invitational, T5-Mayakoba Golf Classic).

Chez Reavie’s 62 betters his previous-best round on the PGA TOUR by two strokes. He carded 64s on six occasions and most recently during the second round of the 2010 HP Byron Nelson Championship (finished T63).  This marks the second time Reavie has held the lead/co-lead on TOUR. He was among a group of seven players at 6-under 65 after the first round of the 2008 RBC Canadian Open, eventually carrying that lead on to his only PGA TOUR victory.

Prior to Thursday’s 8-under 62s by Toms and Reavie, 7-under 63 had led following the first round the last four years (2007 – Anthony Kim, Kevin Na; 2008 – Johnson Wagner; 2009 – Tim Clark, Woody Austin, Steve Stricker; 2010 – Jeff Overton, Jason Bohn, Blake Adams). This is the ninth straight year a round of 64 or better has led after day one.

Rickie Fowler recorded a 7-under 63 in his second appearance at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial (T38-2010). Last year, he carded a 6-under 64 during the third round. Fowler’s 63 is one shy of his career-low round on TOUR (R2, 9-under 62, 2011 Waste Management Phoenix Open).  Fowler opened his round on No. 10 and went out in 1-under 34. He then went 8-under over his next eight holes (eagle-birdie-birdie-birdie-par-birdie-birdie-birdie) and needed a birdie on the par-4 ninth hole to tie the all-time TOUR nine-hole record (26, Corey Pavin, 2006 U.S. Bank Championship in

Milwaukee). Unfortunately his approach shot found the greenside water hazard and an eventual double bogey left him with a closing, 6-under 29 and 7-under 63.  With the double bogey on No. 9, Fowler (29) fell one stroke shy of tying the front-nine scoring record at Colonial Country Club (28, Wayne Levi, 1993).  Fowler took the final hole in stride, “It’s a sorry way to finish, but I’m excited about moving on to tomorrow.  I like this course a lot.  It’s been good to me.  I won the Hogan award here.  Colonial and Crowne Plaza has been great to me.  I’m excited to be playing well this week and kind of draw off the good out there today.  63 to start off with is pretty awesome.”

Stewart Cink’s 6-under 64 is one stroke shy of his career-low round on the PGA TOUR (set on three occasions) and his best round on TOUR since a 6-under 64 in the second round en route to winning the 2008 Travelers Championship – the fifth of his six TOUR wins.

Adam Scott, already a winner at three Texas events in his career (Shell Houston Open, HP Byron Nelson Championship, Valero Texas Open), looks to become the first player to win the Texas Grand Slam by winning the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial. He opned with a 4-under 66 on Thursday in his second Colonial start (2009-T4).

Twelve past champions are competing this week at Colonial: Sergio Garcia (66), Zach Johnson (68), Rory Sabbatini (68), Tom Lehman (69), Steve Flesch (69), Kenny Perry (69), Tim Herron (69), Keith Clearwater (70), David Frost (70), Olin Browne (71), Corey Pavin (75), Fulton Allem (77).

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